Evolution is Mandatory

 
Evolution is Mandatory
 
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
 
When we started our company, our plans were scribbled on the back of a napkin (literally!).  I still have a copy of our notes when we started this company 15 years ago as of yesterday.  It had grand plans, some of which we accomplished, some of them evolved and changed.  Some of them are quaint by our company’s size and scope today.
 
We’ve had lots of ideas over the years – but the important thing is we have ideas to chase.
 
Stagnation and accepting ‘business as usual’ is a slow death for any company.  Just ask people who ran Blockbuster, Kodak or Blackberry – some of those brands are gone, diminished, or came close to the brink before pivoting to new business models. 
 
I was talking to Mike Gibb yesterday, and it’s not the first time we chatted – and we talked about AI.  He was surprised to hear we’ve built our own code and interfaces into our collection software.  He was more surprised to know I’ve been doing this since the early ‘90s.  And yet, even still more surprised at my enthusiasm.
 
Why wouldn’t I be enthusiastic?  Every day is an adventure in this industry.
 
I remember the day we launched our first mass SMS campaign in our collection software (and broke our phone system when 200 people called in simultaneously).  I remember finishing my exam for our Nova Scotia collection agency license and completing our national licensing.  I remember launching in the US.  I remember getting our SOC-2 certification.  Those were all milestones that we planned for, worked towards, and accomplished.
 
Every company should have a plan – what do you want to accomplish today, this week, this month, this year, and in the next five years.  It should include some boring housekeeping stuff, and some grand plans for world domination.   It should challenge how you do things now, and how they can be done better.
 
Fifteen years ago, I didn’t know what I know now.  I’ve listened to competitors, clients, co-workers, mentors, people from other industries, and tried new things based on what I’ve heard (or run far away from things I see that don’t work).
 
I’m betting our company, the collection industry, consumer behaviour, and our culture is going to look very different another fifteen years from now.  Are you planning for the future now?  Or are you going to get run over when it gets here?  I’m looking forward to my drone delivery of legal documents, collection notices being sent to embedded head-chips, and my self-aware computer server telling me I should take more time off and drink less coffee.
 
Evolution is mandatory – what new ideas do you have to implement before the end of 2026?
 
Drop me an email if you want to chat about plans for world domination – I’m always happy to share ideas.
 
Cheers,
 
Blair DeMarco-Wettlaufer
KINGSTON Data & Credit
226-946-1730
blair@receivableaccounts.com